HILLSLUG98239
It's nice to hear someone say something positive. I hear a lot of complaints, but few people acknowleging the benefits. My health insurance premium has gone down. That may be due to the bargaining power of my employer, but all I hear is people griping about their costs going up.

Requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions is going to save lives. More importantly, it will allow more people to remain in the work force because they can work if their medical conditions are properly treated.

My co-pays went up, but I can live with that. I'm so grateful to have insurance. It's probably saved my life and my husband's life. Years ago, The Hubs had the flu. No insurance, no sick days at work: he kept working. He ended up with pneumonia, which scarred his lungs. He now has diminished lung function, which impacts his physical abilities. Last fall, he had a persistent belly ache. If we didn't have heath insurance, he probably would have "toughed it out." He most likely would have died of a ruptured appendix. And having insurance meant my ob/gyn could monitor the growths in my abdomen. (I hit my $1500 deductible paying for the ultrasounds each year, but they cost more than that.) And that meant they found a tumor that hadn't been there six months prior, which meant it was fast-growing. How long would it have taken for me to recognize something was wrong if it hadn't been for those screenings?

Ten years from now, I believe the ACA will be regarded as a success. 1024 days ago

SIEGRID
In Canada we have Medicare, in other words, health care is free (up to a point!!!) If you do not have a family doctor, sometimes it can be very hard to see one, but I have friends here at Spark People who live in the States, and do not have much money, an no insurance and haven't been able to see a doctor in years. Truthfully, you can't say which system is better. I have always said that if I won the lottery I would go to John Hopkins medical center cause I've heard that they are the best for spinal problems, but that's just a dream. In the mean time I do have a family doctor and the care I have been getting is okay 1024 days ago